Herero cucumber
Acanthosicyos naudinianus

Family: Cucurbitaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.

There are 2 Acanthosicyos species. The seeds contain 35% protein.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. It grows best in deep sandy soils. In the Kalahari it grows between 900-1,350 m altitude. It cannot tolerate frost. It will grow in salty soils. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The mature fruit are eaten boiled, roasted or made into pickles. The fruit are also used as a rennet for curdling milk. The seeds are roasted and ground into flour. They are used as a confectionary. The seeds can be used to extract oil. Caution: The roots are considered poisonous. Some fruit can be bitter.

Cultivated. The seeds are sold.

Edible parts

Fruit, tuber, root, caution, seeds, vegetable

How it is grown

Plants grow naturally from seed.

Its other names

Local names

Cha, Chirakaraka, Ga, Gemsbok cucumber, Lungwatanga, Mokapana, Ruputui, Sirakarana, Wild cucumber

Synonyms

Citrullus naudinianus (Sond.) Hook. f.; Colocynthis naudinianus (Sond.) Kuntze; Cucumis naudinianus Sond.;